I-74/John Deere Road cloverleaf interchange to be replaced with diverging diamond

MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) — The Illinois Department of Transportation is moving forward with a plan to change the interchange at Interstate 74 and John Deere Road, replacing the cloverleaf ramps with a diamond-shaped interchange.

Why the replacement is needed

The existing ramps at I-74 and John Deere Road have tight curves and short merging lanes that officials with the Illinois DOT said contribute to crashes.

Michael Kuehn, a program development engineer for Illinois DOT District 2, said the layout creates a pattern of dangerous driving behavior.

“There is an inherent crash tendency with the cloverleaf designs ... When people are weaving in and out and have that short space, there is an increase in sideswipe crashes,” Kuehn said.

What will change

The replacement design, known as a diverging-diamond interchange, briefly moves traffic to the opposite side of the road. IDOT officials said the design gets rid of dangerous left-hand turns across oncoming traffic.

Ald. Matt Timian, 4th Ward, said the change will require an adjustment period for drivers.

“It does feel a little foreign, but it’s going to be a great advantage to the city,” Timian said.

What drivers can expect

Construction is expected to span two years.

Officials said the department plans to keep I-74 open, with two lanes in each direction throughout the project. John Deere Road will also maintain two lanes in each direction.

“There will be intermittent closures of some of the ramps as we’re building the diverging diamond interchange, so there will be some detours at those ramps,” Kuehn said.

Moline is contributing approximately $74,000 to the project.

Preliminary work, including tree clearing and temporary pavement, is already underway. Major construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027.